Bulimia Nervosa

What is it? : bulimia nervosa is a mental health condition that involves a pattern of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors known as purging in order to counteract the calories that one has consumed while binge eating

What are the general symptoms? : The DSM-V gives the following diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa –

recurrent episodes of binge eating

recurrent episodes of compensatory behaviors (such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise) in order to prevent weight gain

the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least 1x per week for 3 months

self – evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight

the disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia nervosa (another eating disorder)

There are several behavior patterns surrounding food and eating behaviors to look for when evaluating for bulimia nervosa, and the behaviors will be different in every individual.